The present invention relates to packaging for orthopedic implants and instrumentation, such as screws, nails or the like.
Maintaining proper sterilization of implants and instruments utilized in orthopedic surgery is of the utmost importance. Implants and instruments that are improperly sterilized or maintained can lead to infections in a patient. These infections can have significant side effects, including some that may require additional surgery. As such, significant efforts are generally undertaken to sterilize and maintain sterilization of implants and instruments.
In many cases, sterilized implants and/or instruments are delivered to the surgical theater in packaging designed to maintain the sterilization. The packaging must be opened to allow for access to the components. This often requires manipulation of the packaging in a manner so that the implants or instruments are not subjected to contamination. For instance, traditional plastic packaging is often opened just enough so that the components contained therein can be dumped onto a tray, i.e., without grasping by hand. This not only makes the package opening more difficult and/or time consuming, but also puts the implants and/or instruments in a precarious situation where the potential for contamination is actually increased (e.g., inadvertent dropping of the component).
Therefore, there exists a need for an improved packaging construct that overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art.